Apparatus for subjecting substances or molecular matter to the electrostatic stress of a high-tension electric discharge



F. NIECE AND R. M. LEGGETT. APPARATUS FOR SUBJECTING SUBSTANCES 0R MOLECULAR MATTER TO THE ELECTROSTATIC STRESS OF A HIGH TENSION ELECTRIC DISCHARGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 25. 1919.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

3G. feyyeiii Unrr sraans PATENT FRED G. NIECE, OF CLEVELAND, AND ROSS M. LEGGETT, OF AKRON, OHIO.

APPARATUS FOR SUBJECTING SUBSTANCES OR MOLECULAR MATTER TO THE ELECTROSTATIC STRESS OF A HIGH-TENSION ELECTRIC DISCHARGE.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

Application filed March 25, 1919. Serial No. 285,125.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Finn) G. Nincn and Ross M. LEGGETT, citizens of the United States, and residing, the former at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, and the latter at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Subjecting Substances or Molecular Matter to the Electrostatic Stress ofa High- T'ension Electric Discharge, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for subjecting fluid or nonfiuid, substances or molecular matter to the electrostatic action of a high tension electric discharge and thereby producing polymerization or depolymerization of or such alterations in the chemical or physical structure or character of said substances or matter as will result in obtaining a product or products of greater value or utility in the arts.

The object of this invention is to pro-- duce apparatus of the character indicated which is simple in construction, readily installable, and efiicient and reliable in its operation.

With this object in view, and to attain any other object hereinafter appearing, this invention consists in 'certain features of construction, and combinations and relative arrangements of parts, hereinafter described in this specification, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation, partly diagrammatic and partly in section, of apparatus embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken along the line 22, Fig. 1, looking downwardly.

Referring to said drawings, at indicates a vertically arranged cylindrical shell of suitable metal or material, such, for instance, as iron or copper. Said shell forms the body of a tank or receptacle and the surrounding wall of a chamber 5 in Which-fluid or non-fluid substances or molecular matter is to be subjected or submitted to the electrostatic stress of a high tension electric discharge. 6 indicates the bottom of said chamber, and said bottom is formed by a head of suitable metal or material. such, for instance, as iron or cop-per. The head 6 l'csts at its circumferential edge on the ground indicated by the horizontal line 7.

8 indicates the top wall of the chamber 5, and said wall is formed by a head of suitable metal or material, such, for instance, as iron or copper. The top head 8 extends over an annular flange 9 formed on and externally of the upper end of the body 4. An annular gasket 10, preferably of asbestos, covers the flange 9 and is interposed between said flange and the head 8 for forming a fluid-tight joint between said head and the body 4, and said head and said gasket are clamped or removably secured to said flange by bolts 11 andnuts 12.

Within the lower end portion of the chamber 5 is arranged an electrode preferably consisting of a substantially horizontal circular plate 13 of suitable metal or-material, such, for instance, as copper or nickel. Said plate is enough smaller diametrically than the surrounding wall of said chamber to form an annular space between said wall and the outer circumferential edge of said plate. The plate 13 is preferably supported from standards 14: of iron or copper, and said standards rest on and are secured to the bottom 6 of said chamber, The electrode 13 is grounded through the standards 14 and bottom 6.

A dielectric, consisting-"preferably of a substantially horizontal circular plate. ,15 of glass, porcelain or'micanite, is arranged over and spaced upwardly from the electrode-forming plate 13. The dielectric plate 15 is diametrically larger than and concentric relative to the electrode-forming plate 13 but smaller in diameter than the surrounding Wallof the chamber 5 so as to form an annular space between said wall and the outer circumferential edge of the dielectric plate which is shown removably secured by screws 16 to and mounted'on brackets 17 attached to said wall.

The chamber 5 has'an outlet, for vapors and gases, formed by a substantially vertical tube 18 of insulating material, such, for instance, as' glass, porcelain or micanite. The insulating tube 18 is arranged over and spaced upwardly from the central portion of the dielectric plate 15. Said tube extends loosely through a hole 20 formed in and centrally of the top wall of the chamber 5, and the head 8 is provided at said hole with an upwardly projecting annular flange 21 extending around said tube which is adjustable endwise. The tube 18 extends above the flange 21 and is secured to said flange by set-screws 2 2 in the desired vertical adjust ment of the tube. Said tube is provided at its upper end with a head 23 which is in the form of a cap shown removably secured to the tube by screws 24, and said cap is spaced somewhat less from the flange 21 than the lower end of said tube is spaced from the dielectric plate 15 so that the lower end of said cap and the upper end of said flange are not only arranged to coiiperate in forming a stop for limiting descent of said tube but so that said tube, were it to become accidentally or otherwise detached and unsupported from said flange and free to descend, could not drop onto the dielectric plate 15. The cap 23 is provided with a pipe 25 having a valve 26, and said pipe is employed in conducting ofi vapors and gases from the upper end of the tube 18 to any desired place. The cap 23 is also shown provided with a pipe 27 having a valve 28, and said pipe 27 is employed, when required, inconducting a gas or other fluid into said.tube from a point externally of the chamber 5.

The tube 18 is provided at its lower end with an electrode consisting preferably of a substantially horizontal circular plate 30 of suitable metal or material, such, for instance, as copper or nickel, and said plate is annular and surrounds said end of said tube. The plate 30 is provided, next externally of said tube, with upwardly projectinglugs 29 which are secured, by screws 31, to said tube in any approved manner, and said plate is shown smaller diametrically than and concentric relative to the lower electrode-forming plate 13. 1

The electrical equipment of our improved apparatus is shown as comprising an oscillation transformer which preferably consists of a Tesla coil comprising a primary winding 32 and a secondary winding The secondary winding 33 is shown mounted, internally of the chamber 5, on the insulating tube 18 and is electrically connected at its lower end, as at 34, to the upper electrode 30 and electrically connected at its upper end, as at 35, to the head 8 and grounded through the tank or receptacle comprising said head. Obviously the secondary winding 33 could be connected at its last-mentioned end directly to the lower electrode 13. v The primary winding 32 surrounds the upper portion of and is spaced from the secondary winding 33 and electrically connected to wires36 and 37 extending through insulators 38 in the head 8, and the supply of electric current, externally of said receptacle, to said'wires is from a step-up transformer 40 supplied from an alternating current line 41. The electrical equipment,

which also comprises a condenser 42 and a spark-gap 43, is diagrammatically illuspenetrate the space between the electrodes and efliciently operate on any substances or matter supplied to said space for treatment, and the upper electrode is spaced from the surrounding wall of said chamber a dis tance much greater than the distance between the electrodes.

Means for heating the substances or matter to be treated in the chamber 5 is shown as comprising a heating coil 45 arranged under the lower electrode-forming plate 13 between said-plate and the bottom 7 of said chamber, and steam or other heating agentis supplied to said coil from a point externally of said chamber through the medium of a pipe 46 having a valve 47.

Means for supplying liquids or gases or other fluids or substances to be treated in the chamber 5 comprise pipes-48 which extend into the lower portion of said chamberand are provided externally of the chamber with valves 49. The top head 8 of the receptacle is also provided at one side and externally 51, and said pipe may be employed in con ducting gases or other fluid into or out of the chamber 5 independently of thetube 18.

of the tube 18 with a pipe 50 having a valve ing or otherwise wherever necessary to exelude air from the chamber 5 and to prevent leakage. However, the making of joints fluid-tight is too well understood to require description in this specification.

By .the construction hereinbefore described it will be observed that the upper electrode 30, being attached to the vertically adjustable insulating tube 18, is readjusted vertically during a vertical readjustment of said tube, and the vertical adjustability of said electrode enables the operator or attendant to alter the spaced relationship between the electrodes and between the upper electrode and the dielectric plate .15.

VVe would also remark that by subjecting or submitting solids and liquids, gases or other fluids to the action of a high tension electric discharge and electrostatic strain we have obtained such alterations in the chemical and physical structure or character of substances or matterundergoing treatment as to obtain. products of higher value and utility in the arts. Also, we have economically successfully recovered valuable and useful products by subjecting waste matter to the electrostatic stress of a high tension electric discharge between the electrodes 13 and 27 in the chamber 5.

WVhen a liquid or other substance, which is not a dielectric, is to be treated in the chamber 5 the supply of said liquid or substance to said chamber is such as to cover the. lower electrode 13 without coming in contact with the dielectric plate 15, and the level of any liquid or substance undergoing treatment in said chamber is maintained in any approved manner at a point which is intermediate of the lower electrode and the dielectric plate and spaced from the latter.

, face of the substance or matter being treated.

Also, the lower electrode-forming plate 13 may be used as a shelf for holding or supporting substances or matter to be treated.

What we claim is- 1. The combination, with a closed chamher having an outlet for vapors and gases, of means whereby substances or matter submitted for treatment in said chamber may be subjected in said chamber to the electrostatic stress of a high tension electric discharge.

2. The combination, with a chamber for receiving the substances or matter to be treated, and two vertically spaced and substantially horizontal opposite electrodeforming plates arranged in said chamber, of means for producing a high tension electric discharge between said plates, and means for supporting a dielectric plate in a hori zontal position between and spaced from the electrode-forming plates.

3. The combination, with a receptacle having a removable top, of two vertically spaced and substantially horizontal oppo-- site electrode-forming plates in said receptacle, a substantially horizontal dielectric plate arranged between and spaced from the electrode-forming plates, and means for producing a high tension electric discharge between the electrode-forming plates, the lower electrodeforming plate being supported from the bottom of the receptacle, the upper electrode-forming plate being supported from the aforesaid top, and the dielectric plate being removable upwardly from said chamber upon removing said top.

4. The combination, with a receptacle, two vertically spaced and substantially hori- .zontal circularelectrode-forming plates arranged in said receptacle and spaced at their outer circumferential edges from the surrounding wall of the chamber in thereceptacle, the lower electrode-forming plate being larger diametrically than ,the upper electrode-forming plate, and means for producing a high tension electric discharge between said plates, of a substantiallyhorizontal circular dielectric plate intermediately of and spaced from the electrodeforming plates, the receptacle being provided internally with seats for said dielectric plate, and the dielectric plate being diametrically larger than the lower electrodeforming plate.

5. The combination, with a receptacle, two vertically spaced opposite electrodes in said receptacle, and means for producing a high tension electric discharge between said electrodes, of an insulating tube extending through the upper electrode and communicating with the space between the" electrodes and extending outside of the receptacle.

(5. The combination, with a receptacle, two vertically spaced opposite electrodes in said receptacle, and means for producing a high tension electric discharge between said electrodes, of an insulating tube communicating centrally of the upper electrode with the space between the electrodes and arranged to conduct vapors and gases from said space to the exterior of the receptacle, said tube supporting the upper electrode.

7. The combination, with a receptacle, two vertically spaced opposite electrodes in said receptacle, and means for producing a high tension electric discharge between said electrodes, of an insulating tube communieating with the space between the electrodes and extending substantially vertically upwardly from the upper electrode and above the receptacle, and a pipe arranged ex ternally of the receptacle and connected to and communicating with said tube.

8. The combination, with a receptacle, two vertically spaced and substantially horizontal electrode-forming plates arranged in said receptacle, and means for producing a high tension electric discharge between said plates, of a substantially vertical insulating tube extending upwardly from the central portion of the upper electrode to the top of the receptacle, said tube supporting the upper electrode and communicating at its lower end with the space between the electrodes and adapted to conduct gases and vapors from the receptacle.

9. The combination, with a receptacle having a top, of a substantially vertical insulating tube arranged in the receptacle and extending downwardly from the central portion of and supported from said top, and a substantially horizontal plate forming an electrode and arranged at the lower end of and extending circumferentially of and supported from said tube, the space next be low said elect-rode being in communication 

